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AG says Haim death linked to prescription drug ring

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State Attorney General Jerry Brown says this week's death of former child actor Corey Haim is linked to a prescription drug ring that his office has had under investigation.

In an online news release, Brown said a drug trafficking ring ordered prescription pads from a San Diego vendor using IDs stolen from doctors. He said the ring sold those pads to addicts, or to middlemen who’d fill in phony prescriptions. The Attorney General said investigators have recovered close to 5000 phony prescriptions linked to the drug ring, including one under Corey Haim’s name.

The 38-year-old actor died Wednesday at a hospital in Burbank. He’d struggled with illegal drug use throughout his life, but doctors say what killed him appeared to be an overdose of prescription drugs.

The Attorney General called the illegal sale of prescription drugs a “serious public health issue.” Brown — who’s running for for the Democratic nomination for Governor — said it’s also linked to “criminal organizations.” He said that’s the case with prescription drug ring his office is investigating.

The San Diego Regional Pharmaceutical Narcotic Enforcement Team is conducting the probe. The team includes the state's Bureau of Narcotic Enforcement and Department of Health Care Services and federal customs investigators.